By CASEY McNERTHNEY, SEATTTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 8:58 pm, Sunday, April 8, 2012

A 1962 Firestone illustration of the Seattle Monorail showing how the tires ride on the concrete tracks.

Photo: P-I File

A 1962 Firestone illustration of the Seattle Monorail showing how...

In this Feb. 18, 1962 photo, Barbara Bidstrup looks in at the Seattle monorail.

Photo: P-I File

In this Feb. 18, 1962 photo, Barbara Bidstrup looks in at the...

This is the first P-I photograph of two monorail trains operating side by side, April 1962.

Photo: P-I File

This is the first P-I photograph of two monorail trains operating...

Monorail pylons, June 20, 1961.

Photo: P-I File

Monorail pylons, June 20, 1961.

Former Gov. Al Rosellini, right, meets with Sixten Holmquist, center, and another man during a March 1962 preview of the Seattle Center Monorail, built for the fair that opened the following month.

Photo: P-I File

Former Gov. Al Rosellini, right, meets with Sixten Holmquist,...

A March 1961 proposal for the Seattle Center Monorail station.

Photo: P-I File

A March 1961 proposal for the Seattle Center Monorail station.

A 1958 proposal of the Seattle Monorail track.

Photo: P-I File

A 1958 proposal of the Seattle Monorail track.

A 1959 drawing of a proposed Monorail loop. (The marks were done by P-I photo editors at the time.) The original caption read: "This is how the Pine St. "loop" of the high-speed monorail system which will link downtown Seattle with the Century 21 Exposition will look. The loop will be around the triangle by Westlake Ave., Pine St. and 5th Ave. The monorail route, about a mile long, will be along 5th Ave. from Pine St. to the Exposition. Lockhed Aircraft Corp. has been named prime contractor to produce the 5-million-dollar monorail system. It is expected to pay for itself in two years.

Photo: P-I File

A 1959 drawing of a proposed Monorail loop. (The marks were done by...

The Seattle Monorail leaving the Seattle World's Fair terminal on its first trial run, March 3, 1962. (Phil H. Webber/Seattlepi.com)

The October 1962 caption read: Dedicating a bronze plaque marking the "first commercial monorail in the United States" are left to right, Roy W. Morse, Seattle city engineer, Arnold Anderson, Alweg representative; Ed Booth, president, American Public Works Association; Robert Bugher, association director, and Howard Culver, city treasurer.

Photo: P-I File

The October 1962 caption read: Dedicating a bronze plaque marking...

The March 1962 caption read: Monorail opens to public.

Photo: P-I File

The March 1962 caption read: Monorail opens to public.

The Nov. 1961 photo caption read: The first concrete beam for 1.2-mile monorail line from Westlake Mall to Seattle World Fair grounds is unloaded on Fifth Avenue near Stewart Street from truck which hauled it from Tacoma plant where it was cast.

Photo: P-I File

The Nov. 1961 photo caption read: The first concrete beam for...

The June 1961 caption to this Westlake station photo read: Heavey braced forms hold 22.5 yards of concrete poured into the steel cage to cast colum from T-section to anchoring pad.

Photo: P-I File

The June 1961 caption to this Westlake station photo read: Heavey...

Walter Straley, president of the Century 21 Center, Inc. at the controls of the Monorail blue train, and Sixten Holmquist of Alweg, the Monorail builder. [Exact date unknown.]

Photo: P-I File

Walter Straley, president of the Century 21 Center, Inc. at the...

The original photo caption read: Both Walter Straley, president of the Century 21 Center, Inc. at the controls of the Monorail blue train, and Sixten Holmquist of Alweg, the Monorail builder, look happy in this view of Straley pretending to be operating the train. [Exact date unknown.]

The 1961 photo caption read: This picture, taken yesterday at Fifth Avenue and Battery Street, shows how an underground photographic survey of Fifth Avenue is being made in preparation for the monorail.

Photo: P-I File

The 1961 photo caption read: This picture, taken yesterday at Fifth...

William Wischer and his monorail model, May 21, 1962.

Photo: P-I File

William Wischer and his monorail model, May 21, 1962.

The April 8, 1974 photo caption read: Popular with both visitors and city residents, Seattle's monorail whisks riders to the Seattle Center from Westlake Mall in just 90 seconds.

Elvis Presley visited Seattle to make his 11th motion picture, "It Happened at the World's Fair." Colonel Tom Parker (second from right) accompanied him. At the Westlake Monorail station, Elvis posed with Governor Albert Rosellini (left) on September 5, 1962. The ham was reportedly from Presley's Tennessee farm. Other individuals in the photo are Ted Richmond (second from left), the producer of the movie and Norman Taurog (right), the director.

Photo: Seattle P-I/MOHAI

Elvis Presley visited Seattle to make his 11th motion picture, "It...

Work on a Monorail car, April 1973.

Photo: P-I File

Work on a Monorail car, April 1973.

The Jan. 11, 1989 photo caption read: The only Monorail trains rolling into the Westlake station these days are carrying engineers, not passengers.

Photo: P-I File

The Jan. 11, 1989 photo caption read: The only Monorail trains...

Machinists at work on the safety gates of the Westlake terminal of the monorail, Jan. 11, 1989.

Photo: P-I File

Machinists at work on the safety gates of the Westlake terminal of...

The Monorail near Westlake Center, October 1988. (Grant M. Haller/Seattlepi.com)

Photo: P-I File

The Monorail near Westlake Center, October 1988. (Grant M....

An aerial photo of the Westlake area, June 27, 1982.

Photo: P-I File

An aerial photo of the Westlake area, June 27, 1982.

Downtown office workers take advantage of the monorail's trip to Seattle Center for a lunchtime change of scene, June 30, 1967.

Photo: P-I File

Downtown office workers take advantage of the monorail's trip to...

Paul Trippett walks down the monorail track, Aug. 9, 1975.

Photo: P-I File

Paul Trippett walks down the monorail track, Aug. 9, 1975.

Ray Kelly, of Seattle, spends some pleasant time on Westlake monorail platform, July 16, 1980.

Photo: P-I File

Ray Kelly, of Seattle, spends some pleasant time on Westlake...

Firefighters hose down a flash fire on one of the Monorail's two downtown tracks. Jan. 5, 1990.

Photo: P-I File

Firefighters hose down a flash fire on one of the Monorail's two...

The May 25, 1967 photo caption read: Tamara Ivask registers bewilderment and happiness yesterday as she learns she is the one millionth passenger to ride the Monorail train here.

Photo: P-I File

The May 25, 1967 photo caption read: Tamara Ivask registers...

The inside of a Monorail car, February 1962.

Photo: P-I File

The inside of a Monorail car, February 1962.

The Seattle Center Monorail station collapsed under weight of snow, February 1962.

Photo: P-I File

The Seattle Center Monorail station collapsed under weight of snow,...

Monorail tracks, Oct. 19, 1988.

Photo: P-I File

Monorail tracks, Oct. 19, 1988.

A view from the Westin Hotel of monorail construction at Fifth Avenue and Westlake, April 12, 1988.

Photo: P-I File

A view from the Westin Hotel of monorail construction at Fifth...

A May 1991 photo of the Monorail maintenance shop at the Seattle Center.

A section of the first monorail train to arrive in Seattle sits on the track, still connected by cable to crane which lifted it into position, Feb. 20, 1962.

Photo: P-I File

A section of the first monorail train to arrive in Seattle sits on...

The 1991 caption read: The Monorail would be extended 35 miles under Dick Falkenbury's proposal to make it part of Seattle's transit plan for the future.

Photo: P-I File

The 1991 caption read: The Monorail would be extended 35 miles...

Firefighters check a Monorail train after it blew a tire near the Seattle Center, September 1984. A tourist, alarmed by the sound of the explosion, fell and slightly injured herself. (Phil H. Webber/Seattlepi.com file)

Photo: P-I File

Firefighters check a Monorail train after it blew a tire near the...

A drawbar linked Monorail cars for tandem towing, May 1962.

Photo: P-I File

A drawbar linked Monorail cars for tandem towing, May 1962.

Two customers buy tickets for the Monorail months after the Seattle World's Fair ended, November 1962.

Photo: P-I File

Two customers buy tickets for the Monorail months after the Seattle...

The 1975 Black Friday caption read: The monorail attracted the greatest group of bargain hunters yesterday.

Photo: P-I File

The 1975 Black Friday caption read: The monorail attracted the...

The Aug. 12, 1974 caption read: Several thousand postal workers jammed the monorail cars as they head into downtown Seattle for lunch and mid-day break from heavy business meetings at the Seattle Center coliseum.

Photo: P-I File

The Aug. 12, 1974 caption read: Several thousand postal workers...

The 1962 photo caption read: Thomson and Hordan are old-time street car men now running the monorail train.

The August 1963 caption read: This is the battered and windowless front end of the Monorail's red train after it failed to stop and smashed into a safety bumper at the south end of the Westlake terminal.

Photo: P-I File

The August 1963 caption read: This is the battered and windowless...

The Monorail during an early run, March 5, 1962.

Photo: P-I File

The Monorail during an early run, March 5, 1962.

Wreckage of a Monorail train after a July 1971 crash at Seattle Center.

Photo: P-I File

Wreckage of a Monorail train after a July 1971 crash at Seattle...

Wreckage of a Monorail train after a July 1971 crash at Seattle Center.

Photo: P-I File

Wreckage of a Monorail train after a July 1971 crash at Seattle...

Wreckage of a Monorail train after a July 1971 crash at Seattle Center.

Photo: P-I File

Wreckage of a Monorail train after a July 1971 crash at Seattle...

The Monorail travels between the Seattle Center and Westlake Center, Feb. 21, 1989.

Photo: P-I File

The Monorail travels between the Seattle Center and Westlake...

The front of a Monorail train slammed into a steel beam at Seattle Center, July 25, 1971.

Photo: P-I File

The front of a Monorail train slammed into a steel beam at Seattle...

Seats were uprooted during a July 25, 1971 crash.

Photo: P-I File

Seats were uprooted during a July 25, 1971 crash.

The Westlake terminal, 1968.

Photo: P-I File

The Westlake terminal, 1968.

An aerial photo of the Monorail, Jan. 1962.

Photo: P-I File

An aerial photo of the Monorail, Jan. 1962.

The red Monorail train makes the trip from downtown to the Seattle Center in less than two minutes. Date unknown.

Photo: P-I File

The red Monorail train makes the trip from downtown to the Seattle...

Nancy Richardson, next to a Seattle Police officer, looks at her broken rear windshield. It shattered when a Monorail from above popped a windshield that came crashing down onto Fifth Avenue, Aug. 27, 1987.

Photo: P-I File

Nancy Richardson, next to a Seattle Police officer, looks at her...

Bob and Ginny Turner of Illinois film the sights during their Monorail ride on Aug. 3, 1983.

Photo: P-I File

Bob and Ginny Turner of Illinois film the sights during their...

The two Monorail trains are parked the day after a Nov. 28, 2005 collision. (Dan DeLong/Seattlepi.com file)

A television photographer records damaged lower panels of monorail train during a media tour of the train at the Seattle Center maintenance shop, Dec. 5, 2005.

Photo: P-I File

A television photographer records damaged lower panels of monorail...

The Monorail is driven during July 18, 2006 work on mechanical problems. (Karen Ducey/Seattlepi.com file)

Photo: P-I File

The Monorail is driven during July 18, 2006 work on mechanical...

The May 2004 caption read: A woman with her child are helped out of the blue Monorail car by Seattle firefighters as the fire was being extinguished in another part of the car.

Photo: P-I File

The May 2004 caption read: A woman with her child are helped out of...

The May 2004 caption read: Passengers on the Seattle Monorail crowd in one side of the Seattle icon as smoke envelopes the train near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broad Street. The train caught fire after passing through the EMP tunnel en route to the Westlake Center. There were no serious injuries in the incident.

Photo: P-I File

The May 2004 caption read: Passengers on the Seattle Monorail crowd...

The May 2004 caption read: Smoke from the blue Monorail car blows over the red car near the Seattle Center in downtown Seattle Washington.

Photo: P-I File

The May 2004 caption read: Smoke from the blue Monorail car blows...

The Seattle Monorail, November 2006.

Photo: P-I File

The Seattle Monorail, November 2006.

The Seattle Monorail, November 2006.

Photo: P-I File

The Seattle Monorail, November 2006.

Santa and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels chat during a December 2004 ride on the Seattle Monorail.

The Sept. 19, 1996 photo caption read: President Clinton waves as he boards a bus with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and Gore's wife Tipper in Seattle.

Photo: P-I File

The Sept. 19, 1996 photo caption read: President Clinton waves as...

The Monorail arrives at Seattle Center, Oct. 5, 1999.

Photo: P-I File

The Monorail arrives at Seattle Center, Oct. 5, 1999.

A man (back to camera) who climbed onto the Monorail at the Westlake Center is moved off the rail by police, Dec. 1, 2008. (Dan DeLong/Seattlepi.com file)

Photo: P-I File

A man (back to camera) who climbed onto the Monorail at the...

The 2000 caption read: Frank Gehry's design for the Experience Music Project includes a "canyon" cut into the structure for the Monorail to make its passage back and forth between Seattle Center and Westlake.

Photo: P-I File

The 2000 caption read: Frank Gehry's design for the Experience...

The Monorail, reflected in the Experience Music Project, moves along its track near the Space Needle APril 30, 2002.

Photo: P-I File

The Monorail, reflected in the Experience Music Project, moves...

The Sept. 19, 2002 caption read: Seattle cabbie Dick Falkenbury is the guy who came up with the Monorail initiative.

Later this month on April 21, the city plans to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the Century 21 Exposition, the world’s fair that created the Space Needle and Monorail, and forever changed the city’s image.

Today from the seattlepi.com archives, we share the story of the day the Monorail opened to the general public, March 24, 1962.

The Monorail, a 1.2-mile track that runs from Seattle Center to the Westlake Center downtown, was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, which ran from April 21 to Oct. 21 of that year.

The four-section, two-car trains were designed and assembled by a company called Alweg in West Germany, but are “70 percent American,” Alweg Rapid Transit System Managing Director Sixten Holmquist told the P-I in 1962.

The electric motors that were designed to take the Monorail up to 70 mph were designed and produced by General Electric Co. The braking system was manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Corp., and the special rubber tires on both the drive and guide wheels were products of Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., according to archived P-I accounts.

Holmquist also said the material used to cover the trains' seats was fabricated in the United States. They expected 10,000 passengers an hour to be carried by the monorail trains during the fair.

When it debuted in 1962, it was the first full-scale installation of its kind in the United States, the P-I reported.

It opened to the public a few minutes after 9 a.m. on March 24, 1962, and about 130 people were aboard the first ride. P-I reporter Ken Fleming noted they were somewhat stunned – as current riders of the Monorail are – after the ride is done in roughly two minutes.

By 11 a.m., more than 1,200 people had taken a Monorail trip. Prices then were $1 for adults and 75 cents for children, or a quarter less each way for people buying a round-trip pass.

The first adult ticket was bought by Robert Rocheleau, a 40-year-old motel operator from Fairbanks, Alaska.

“I got in line at 5 a.m.,” he told the P-I. “I had been waiting in my car since 2:30 a.m. We have been hearing about the Fair and the monorail since last year and I just wanted to be the first. I’ll be coming back in October with my family to see all of the fair.”

Rocheleau was greeted by Holmquist and given one of 200 commemorative medals for people on the Monorail’s inaugural ride.

About noon that day, it also was announced that tickets to the Space Needle observation deck would be sold to the general public.

There have been a few mishaps on the Monorail in its nearly 50-year history. Coincidentally, one of the men who drove one of the trains on opening day, Robert Baker, became stuck on the red train after a mechanical problem.

Below is a timeline of Monorail mishaps, compiled by former P-I librarian Lytton Smith:

Dec. 15, 2008: About 15 people were stuck after the red train had an unspecified mechanical problem. Passengers were led onto the blue train after about 20 minutes and no injuries were reported.

Aug. 23, 2008: The monorail red train halted for several hours due to a faulty valve, stranding about 200 passengers.

Aug 19, 2006: A monorail train stalled near the Seattle Center. Stranded passengers were picked up 30 minutes later by the second train.

Nov. 27, 2005: Two monorails on parallel tracks were stuck together after sideswiping on a tight curve near Westlake Center. The trains were out of service for repairs and installation of safety devices.

July 22, 2005: The monorail's blue train lost power, stranding about 150 passengers until the second train could return and rescue them.

May 31, 2004: An electrical fire, the first in the monorail's history, caused by a short in the electrical wiring in a motor, trapped 150 riders near the Experience Music Project. The monorail was out of service for six months for extensive repairs.

Sept. 22, 2002: A monorail train bound for Westlake Center lost power due to a burned-out compressor and stopped, stranding 26 passengers. All were rescued by the Seattle Fire Department. The same train failed five days later, this time stranding 25 riders who also had to wait for the Fire Department.

Aug. 27, 1987: Due to driver error, a monorail train hit an emergency bumper, causing $16,500 in damage but no injuries.

July 25, 1971: A monorail train crashed into a steel girder at the Seattle Center, injuring 26 passengers, some seriously.